Winning the War at Home

Step 2—Fiber for Breakfast

When kids have sugary cereals, doughnuts and soda for breakfast, Dr. Oz says they start the day on a sugar high. "They show up in class, and teachers complain about this all the time, the kids can't be controlled for the first hour. And then they bottom out when their insulin goes up and now they can't pay attention ... until lunchtime," he says. "Their whole day is like this."

Instead of allowing this sugar blast in the morning, make sure your kids get about half their fiber intake—about 7 to 10 grams—from their breakfast. Fiber is found in abundance in healthy foods like steel-cut oatmeal and fruit. If your kids refuse to eat those things right away, Dr. Oz recommends sprinkling the fiber—psyllium husks, for example—in their food.

"Find things that your kids resonate to and use those tools," he says.